 Namaskar, dear learners, welcome to Krishnakanta Handic State Open University. Today, we are going to discuss the topic social mobility, which is the 14th unit of our BA Forest Semester Sociology course titled Introduction to Sociology. Let us now first look at the outline of our presentation. We are first going to discuss on the meaning and definitions of social mobility, the different types of social mobility, the forms of vertical social mobility, opened and closed mobility, difference between the open and closed mobility and the factors that affect social mobility. So, learners, let us now begin our discussion with an understanding of the concept of social mobility, its meaning and its definitions. Dear learners, we all know that every human society is stratified. Social stratification is a universal phenomenon. In all human societies, people are ranked or classified into different groups and stratas in society. Some are accorded higher position while some the lower position. Now, is it possible for a person to move from a lower strata to a higher strata? Yes, in some systems of stratification it is possible, in some it is not. This is what is today's, this is the cracks of today's discussion. Social mobility is in simple words the movement of a person from one strata or one position in a society to another strata or a position. Suppose, I as a person I am born in a lower class and with my ability, with my merit, with my skills or with my achievements, I am able to get a higher position, a higher rank with my merit and then what happens is my social status also changes accordingly. The status that I was born with subsequently changes with my achievement and with my position in a higher class. So, this is social mobility. So, social mobility denotes the movement of an individual or groups from one position or rank to another in a social strata of the society over a period of time. Now, this change in position may not always be an upward change, it may also be a reverse, the downward change. It may not always happen that a person during his lifetime or his son or his grandson during their lifetime achieve a higher position. Though it is frequently observed or though it is usually observed that the movement of a person usually takes place from a lower to a higher position, but it is not always the case. There are also instances or there might arise circumstances when an individual is compelled to climb down the ladder or he loses his job, he loses his wealth, he loses his position and then he falls down to a lower class and automatically his social status changes. So, mobility is not only upward, it may also happen in a reverse way, it may also be a downward mobility. Let us now discuss two very important definitions of social mobility. One of them is given by Lipset and Bendix. They have defined social mobility as a process by which individuals move from one position to another between such hierarchical arrangements that are to be found in each society. So, dear learners, there are two very important keywords in this definition. Number one is the movement of person from one position to another as we have just discussed and the second is the hierarchical arrangement. What is hierarchy? We all know that as I have already mentioned that in society not all people are of the same rank, not all people have the same position in society. Some belong to the upper strata, some belong to the lower strata, some belong to the middle strata. So, depending on their rank, their position, their social status varies. A person of a higher rank belonging to a higher position would have a higher status and that is the vice versa with a person belonging to the lower class. So, society is hierarchical. People are ranked into different groups. A particular group is superior, another is subordinate. So, there is a ranking of people and groups in society and movement of a person from one rank to another is social mobility. Another definition given by Giddens is that social mobility refers to movement of individuals and groups in between different socio-economic positions. This definition is also similar to the one we have discussed. It implies that individuals move into different socio-economic positions. For example, a person belonging to a lower class would have different socio-economic conditions. His privileges, his affordability, his lifestyle is different from a person belonging to an upper class. And when a person from a lower class is able to change his position to a higher class, his socio-economic condition also changes. His first position changes simultaneously his status and along with it changes his socio-economic conditions, his lifestyles, so on and so forth. Having understood the third social mobility, let us now try to discuss the types of social mobility. There are usually two types of social mobility. One is vertical and one is horizontal. Social mobility, it depends upon time, place and directions. In case of direction, if we see, it takes place either in a vertical way or in a horizontal way. But from the perspective of time, it can be intergenerational or intergenerational. Before going to intergenerational and intergenerational mobility, let us first try to understand horizontal and vertical mobility. So, what is horizontal mobility? We have already mentioned that social mobility implies change in position. But there are also instances when a person changes his occupation but his position remains the same. For example, I am working as a manager in a particular company and tomorrow I get an opportunity somewhere else. But I am given the same position of the manager. Shift my job to the other place or the other opportunity that I got but my position has remained the same. I am working today as an assistant professor in KK Handling State Open University. Tomorrow, for example, I get a job at Cotton University as an assistant professor. My place of work changes. I move from KK Handling State Open University to Cotton University. But my designation remains the same. It is assistant professor. So, in this case, when only the place of work changes but the designation but the position or the rank of a person remains the same. It is called horizontal mobility. So, horizontal mobility, dear learners, it refers to change of occupational position or role of an individual or a group without involving any change in its position in the social hierarchy. So, my place of work changes but my designation remains the same. There is no change in my position in the hierarchy. My rank is the same. Here the individual moves from one social position to another of the same rank. In this context, an individual may change his or her occupation but overall social standing or status remains unchanged. So, this is horizontal mobility that you move from one place to another from one job to another. But your rank, your status do not change, your designation do not change. So, it is an example of horizontal mobility. Now, it contrasts to horizontal mobility. Vertical mobility implies change in the rank and position of an individual. For example, if we take the same example then I am working as an assistant professor here in KK Handling State Open University and tomorrow I join Cotton University or Mahat University as an associate professor. You know my rank or my designation changes. So, that is vertical mobility because here I am moving from one rank to another from one designation to another. Not only my place of work change but also simultaneously there is a change in my designation. There is a change in my rank in my position and accordingly there will be a change in my social status. And it is always not necessary that vertical mobility is accompanied by change in location or change in occupation, change in job. Even in the organizations that we are working in. When in this organization only I get a promotion and I am promoted to a higher rank, it is an example of vertical mobility. Now, for example, a person who belongs to a lower class, he was born in a poverty-ridden family but he is highly meritorious. He works hard, he studies hard, he puts in all his efforts and with his merit and ability he secures a very high position. He becomes a civil servant, he becomes a doctor, he becomes an engineer, you know his position changes and along with it changes his social status. This is also an example of vertical mobility. So, one is horizontal where your position do not change but the place of work or occupation changes. And similarly, the other is vertical mobility where there is a change in the position of individuals or groups along the social hierarchy. Here the position and status of individual changes. Now, there are two forms of vertical mobility. As we have already discussed in the previous part of our discussion today, then vertical mobility can be of two types. One is upward mobility, one is downward mobility. It is not always that a person climbs up the social ladder, you know, he can climb up the social hierarchy. There are also instances when a person is compelled or the situations in life compels him to fall downward, to climb down the social ladder. Of course, this is not by choice. It may be because of different circumstances or conditions of life that a person loses everything. He loses his position, he loses his power, his status and he is forced to fall down. His class status falls down. So, vertical mobility takes two forms. One is upward social mobility and the other is downward social mobility. A classic example, if I would give you a classic example of upward social mobility is two very prominent figures of our country. One are present Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the other APJ Abdul Kalam. We all know that they both of them belong to very humble families. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as has been said, was selling tea for his livelihood and gradually with the passing of time, gradually with his capabilities, with his abilities, he became successful in climbing up the social ladder. Similarly, our most respected APJ Abdul Kalam sir, he also belonged to a very, very downtrodden, very, very humble family. But with his merit, with his hard working nature, with his ambition, he could succeed in achieving a top position. He became the president of the country. So, these are two very, very classic examples of upward social mobility. Now, for example, a person, I am talking about downward social mobility now, a person who is placed in a very high-profile job, has a luxurious lifestyle, has innumerable wealth, property, social standing, social status. He has everything. But in case that person has the habit of involving in corruption, crime, so on and so forth, and one day he gets caught, there is a seize of his bank accounts. We often hear this kind of news in the media. The bank accounts are being seized, the money are being taken away by the government. They lose their job and then what happens today? Do you think their position remains the same? Do you think their social status remains the same? Most of them land up in jails. They lose everything. This is an example of downward social mobility. Because he loses his job, he loses his money, he loses everything. So, thereby he loses his position and status. I hope you are clear with what is meant by horizontal mobility and vertical mobility. Now the landers, there are two very significant forms of vertical social mobility. Apart from its upward and downward mobility, there are two forms of vertical social mobility. We all know by now that vertical social mobility implies what? It implies change in position. A person from a lower class achieving a higher class position or a person from a higher class, you know, by misfortune he falls into a lower class. So, there is a transition, there is a change in position and rank of the person. Now this might happen, this change in position, particularly the upward mobility might happen within a person's lifetime or it might happen in the next generation. So, depending upon this time frame, depending upon the time of change, changing the status, depending upon the time it has taken for an individual to change his or her position, there are two forms of vertical social mobility. One is intergenerational mobility and two is intragenerational mobility. So, time factor as we know is an important element in social mobility. When change occur from one generation to another, it is known as intergenerational mobility. This type of mobility involves changes in social position of a children in comparison to their parents or relative to their parents. That means, my position and there is a comparison between my position and the position of my parents. When my position is better than my parents or when being born in a humble family or being born in a poor family, when I am able to succeed and achieve a higher position or a higher social status, it is an example of intergenerational mobility because this mobility, this movement of me or my parents to a higher status did not take place in their generation, did not take place in their time. It took place in my lifetime. You know, so compared to their status, compared to the status where I was born in, my status has improved now. So, this will be a case of intergenerational mobility. Intergenerational mobility therefore implies changing status or position of one generation in contrast to the earlier generation, a change in the status of family members from one generation to the next. So, in case of intergenerational mobility, there is always a comparison between the previous generation and the present generation. What is the present generation doing? Are they being able to elevate their social conditions? Are they being able to improve their socio-economic status? Are the present generation being able to achieve a higher position? So, there is always a comparison. So, this is intergenerational mobility. When one generation achieves a higher position comparison to the other generation, I mean in comparison to his parents separation. The next is intergenerational mobility where there is no comparison between the previous generation. Here the mobility takes place within the life of a person himself or herself. It implies the change in an individual's position or social status during his or her lifetime. Here change in position is not compared between individual, what was the individual's, I mean parents position or something like that. But there is always a comparison between what was the person's position earlier and what is his position now. So, this kind of mobility takes place within the life of the person itself. He might have belonged to a poor family or he might have belonged. For example, take this example that he joins as a clerk in a particular office and then he becomes the officer. So, this has taken place, this mobility, this positional change has taken place within his own life itself. So, this is a case of intergenerational mobility. Now intergenerational mobility if we would like to give an example. Suppose my father or my grandfather was a farmer or my grandfather was a witch liberator, he was working for others. And then I become a doctor, I become a civil servant, I become a teacher, I become an officer, I become a lawyer. You know there is a change from what my grandfather is wearing and what I have become. There is a change, there is a generational change. And this is an example of intergenerational mobility. So, while talking about intergenerational mobility and intergenerational mobility, we have to just remember one thing that in intergenerational mobility there is a comparison between two generations. And in intergenerational mobility there is no comparison between two generations but there is a comparison between what a person was born as and what he have become, what he have gradually become in his life. So, that is the comparison in case of intergenerational mobility. And here also in both intergenerational mobility and intergenerational mobility, the change in position may be upward or may be downward. Though usually it is upward mobility but there are also numerous cases of downward mobility as well.